She has been serving as interim president since July. Before that, she served for six years as the school's provost and she has been a faculty member, including a tenure as chair of the psychology department, since 1993.

Cassidy earned her master's and Ph.D in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree with distinction in psychology from Swarthmore College, according to Bryn Mawr's website.

Bryn Mawr said Wednesday that Cassidy has been instrumental in leading the college's innovations in curriculums, emphasizing science and mathematics and working to better connect liberal arts studies to career paths and graduate pursuits.

The college comprises 1,300 female undergraduates, two coeducational graduate schools and a coeducational pre-medical program.